Before the first practice of the playoffs, Joey Gobert and his West Brook boys basketball teammates received the same speech coach Andre Boutte gives all of his teams this time of year.

Boutte, who has won five state basketball titles as a coach and player, preached about the team needing a single heartbeat if it wants to win the seven games necessary to become state champions.

Southeast Texas could have a bigger pulse than normal on the state championships in San Antonio because its high-level teams are on a single heartbeat.

Five teams - West Brook, Port Arthur Memorial, Silsbee, East Chambers and Evadale - didn't lose a game in district play and four of those teams own winning streaks so long they can't be counted on two hands.

"Any team can get knocked out at any time," Memorial senior Darion Chatman said. "But you look and see how well everyone has played, there's no reason a lot of Southeast Texas teams can't make it. I think we're all rooting for it."

Multiple Southeast Texas teams in the state finals isn't unheard of.

It last happened in 2016, when Silsbee and East Chambers were state finalists.

Ozen was a win away from joining them, but no other team made a serious push like the five this year are expected.

West Brook's rise under Boutte is the most intriguing.

The Bruins missed the playoffs last season and Deer Park was favored to win District 22-6A this season.

West Brook beat the Deer twice and are led by Colorado signee Elijah Parquet and a defense that allowed just 47 points per game in district play.

"I told my players I can't go and score baskets for them," Boutte said. "They have to keep putting themselves in position to win a state title."

Outside of Silsbee, though, there isn't much playoff experience.

Memorial and Evadale won playoff games last year, but West Brook and East Chambers didn't.

All expect their roads to state to be difficult, but not impossible.

"When you're No. 1 or have won a lot of games in a row, you're always going to get everyone's best shot," Sigler said. "That only intensifies in the playoffs, so any team that wants to make it to state is going to have to feed off that and give their best effort every single game."